US 11,937,871 B2
Devices, systems, and methods for accessing a body lumen
Richard Crawford, Galway (IE); and Louis McNern, Donegal (IE)
Assigned to Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc., Maple Grove, MN (US)
Filed by Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc., Maple Grove, MN (US)
Filed on Jul. 16, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/930,764.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/875,292, filed on Jul. 17, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0015548 A1, Jan. 21, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 18/14 (2006.01); A61B 18/00 (2006.01); A61B 18/12 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 18/1487 (2013.01) [A61B 18/1206 (2013.01); A61B 18/1492 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00077 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00601 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00702 (2013.01); A61B 2018/0091 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00982 (2013.01); A61B 2018/1253 (2013.01); A61B 2018/126 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A medical device, comprising:
a flexible elongate tube having a proximal end, a distal end, a longitudinal axis extending along a length of the tube, an outer surface, and a distal portion proximal to the distal end that extends longitudinally along a portion of the length of the tube, the distal end configured to access an opening of a body lumen;
a plurality of wire lumens extending from the distal end of the tube toward the proximal end of the tube, the wire lumens radially offset from and substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis, wherein at least a portion of each of the plurality of wire lumens is in the form of a longitudinal open channel having a length that extends along a length of the distal portion and is radially exposed to the outer surface along the length of the distal portion;
a central lumen extending from the distal end of the tube toward the proximal end of the tube;
a plurality of wires, each wire substantially flush with the outer surface of the flexible elongate tube along the length of the distal portion, and a portion of each wire extendable radially externally to the respective wire lumen along the portion of the wire lumen that is radially exposed to the outer surface; and
a sheath slidable about the flexible elongate tube between a closed configuration in which the sheath is positioned distally such that the longitudinal open channel of each of the plurality of wires is covered by the sheath and an open configuration in which the sheath is positioned proximally such that the longitudinal open channel of each of the plurality of wires is not covered by the sheath;
wherein the plurality of wires is configured to bend the distal end of the flexible elongate tube by proximally translating one or more of the plurality of wires such that a distal end of the one or more translated wires pulls proximally on the distal end of the flexible elongate tube, causing the distal end of the flexible elongate tube to bend in a direction of the one or more wires.